When a wind turbine is non-operable for a period of time, for instance during installation or maintenance/service, or when the wind turbine is stopped for other reasons, e.g. high winds or extreme weather conditions, the different wind turbine components, such as the gearbox, generator, hydraulic system, transformer, etc. are cooled down.
Many wind turbine components use oil or other liquids as working fluids or need to be lubricated to function effectively. When the wind turbine is out of operation, the lubrication and working fluids become viscous or thick and thereby unable to flow through the components.
During the start-up of a cold wind turbine, it therefore becomes necessary to heat up the different components to a minimum temperature to make the wind turbine operable and able to produce energy.
Since some wind turbine components are quite big in relation to their weight it may take a very long time to heat them up, which prolongs the start-up procedure of the wind turbine.
Thus, there is a need for at solution which minimises the time required to heat up one or more components in a wind turbine, especially in cold weather conditions, to make the wind turbine operable faster.